Workers Worldwide Mark International Workers Day

Workers around the world marked International Workers' Day on May 1, commemorating the 1886 labor strikes in Chicago that demanded an eight-hour workday and led to the Haymarket Square incident.

The observance traces its origins to the late 19th century, when industrial workers in the United States endured shifts of 14 to 16 hours daily, six days a week, in hazardous conditions. On May 1, 1886, hundreds of thousands of workers across the country participated in coordinated strikes calling for eight hours of work, eight hours of rest, and eight hours for personal time. Three days later, a peaceful rally at Chicago's Haymarket Square turned chaotic when someone threw a bomb at police, prompting gunfire that killed at least seven officers and four workers. Eight labor organizers were arrested; four were executed in 1887, and another died in prison. The trials drew international criticism for lack of evidence tying the men to the bombing.

In 1889, the Second International, a gathering of socialist and labor groups in Paris, designated May 1 as an annual day of workers' solidarity to honor the Haymarket events. The date has since become a public holiday in more than 80 countries,...